MEGOGO Launches Its Own Production Travel Show “Dasha Rides the Wave”

30 June 2017

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The largest OTT/VOT service in Eastern Europe and the CIS countries MEGOGO will screen an adventure saga of its own production. It features famous Ukrainian TV host and radio presenter Dasha KOLOMIEС. She and her friends went to Portuguese coast to surf the waves and to get an experience of life in the land of Vinho do Porto and royal sardines. Dasha has not surfed before.

This is why her first attempts, monologues, emotions and extreme situations (“some of them were really horrifying”, she admits) are not a play. It is a reality filmed as it is — raw, not staged. The travel saga also features Seraphim ROMANOV, the founder of surfing community Surfin’ua. He is a coach and surf consultant in “Dasha Rides the Wave”. He became famous on MEGOGO for his role in travel project “Diaries of Northern Lights Hunters” with TV host Olexandr PEDAN.

Dasha is still impressed by the Portuguese trip even a month after she show has been shot. “Surfing looks so romantic and enticing on the screen. But in real life you should exert incredible effort and will, have enormous patience and energy to learn basic stuff. Many fail the challenge and instead of working hard, they laze in a restaurant or spend their time on the beach like seals while drinking sangria or port wine with fruits. Oh, Portugal is magnificent, magnificent ocean”, — Dasha recalls.

New MEGOGO project is not a typical show. It has eight episodes. Each of them is a real day experience of Dasha and her friends. It features dozens of situations, dialogues, monologues, gags and pranks, adventures, unexpected moments and sudden decisions. The abundance of daily life compresses to 15-20 minute episodes. Unlike ordinary TV projects, there is no time limit — each episode has to include all cool events of the day.

The series debuted this Thursday, June 29, at 6 p.m. The next episodes of the adventure saga will appear at the same time for the next seven days. There are eight episodes in total.

The idea of the show was spontaneous. The decision to launch it was made two days before the trip. Dasha KOLOMIEC was invited to host the show as the famous DJ and TV and radio presenter. However, Ivan SHESTAKOV admits MEGOGO has planned a similar project but it has come to fruition earlier than expected. There was neither script nor filming crew for the show. Every surfer in the surf camp eventually became a camera operator and project participant. “We were just filming everything what was going on with us. There is no exaggeration or staged shot. All we tried to do was to fill each day with events and adventure so that we would like to take part in it and viewers would like to watch it. Dasha and I wanted to create a well-edited vlog while focusing on fun for all show participants. It should not have been a job or obligation.” — says Ivan SHESTAKOV, one of the project stars as well.

Four action cameras and dozens of smartphones were used to shoot the raw material. “We just collected the videos from the gadgets of everybody at the surf camp. People shared their stuff gladly,” — Dasha KOLOMIEC reveals. Motion graphics, animations and funny cutaways added up to each episode during the video edit.

The cost of filming, post production, as well as fees of stars and crew are not disclosed. However, MEGOGO marketing director claims it has been some ten times cheaper than similar TV travel projects.

Who is the audience for “Dasha Rides the Wave” travel saga? The series comes out within the first weeks of visa-free travel to the EU for Ukrainians. This is the moment when they turn their eyes to adventures and trips abroad. Surfing gets more popular each year as a recreation. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians dream of learning to ride the waves. They include but not limit to extreme lifestyle enthusiasts and hipsters. In this view Portuguese coastline, beaches, climate, cuisine and traditions guaranteeto please everyone. The show heroes are frank, amusing and real at the same time. There is no “actor play” in the series. That is because the project has not been shot according to trivial scripts. Ithas not been edited to fit the clichés and technical requirements as well. The series aims at broader audience and MEGOGO is confident it is going to be popular.

“Dasha Rides the Wave” opens a new stage in video service evolution. MEGOGO is going to shoot and screen such shows regularly. It should not be about travel only. MEGOGO plans to increase its realm of vlogs, non-standard shows, educational and information projects beyond the TV concept. It offers fresh, modern and unconventional outlook on entertainment media.